


Just When All Seems Well

by RadioactiveDeLorean



Series: Redemption [4]
Category: The LEGO Movie (2014)
Genre: Emmet blames himself for a lot of things, Hey look there's more than one character in this thing, I am a good writer i promise, They're gonna end up together eventually, and italics, and then like two percent is him blaming himself for stuff, give me like five years, gratuitous use of semi colons, half the fic is Emmet talking to Benny, just need to get there, lots of italics, not sequel compliant, that's a first, the other half is Emmet talking to Lucy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-16
Updated: 2019-02-16
Packaged: 2019-10-29 15:44:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17810846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RadioactiveDeLorean/pseuds/RadioactiveDeLorean
Summary: Emmet meets Benny at the supermarket and the astronaut wonders why Emmet doesn't really go anywhere. Emmet gets home to find the Cops missing.





	Just When All Seems Well

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea what I'm doing anymore. I just keep writing words. Also sort of a second birthday gift for [my buddy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TransformersG1fan271).

Emmet whistled to himself as he headed down the herbs, spices, condiments and exotic foods aisle of the supermarket, picking out several different jars of spices he’d never bought before. He and the Cops had been talking over what other recipes they could try out, and Good Cop was _insistent_ on trying out a sweet and sour chicken dish at the weekend, which required ingredients Emmet didn’t own. He’d added them to his shopping list (which was meticulously organised and laid out in the same way the shop was, so that he could work his way down his shopping list and through the store at the same time) and decided it was due time he went to the store.  
  
The Cops had decided to stay home, as usual. It was probably wise, considering how pretty much all of the citizens in all the Realms, not just Bricksburg, hated their guts. Both they and Emmet knew that the Cops would likely receive insults, harassment and abuse if they were recognised. They had pretty much stayed inside the apartment entirely ever since getting there and Emmet figured it was a miracle that they hadn’t developed cabin fever yet. He made a mental note to try and get them out of the house and out somewhere as soon as he could.

Where would he even take them? The movies sounded like a good idea; the movie theatre was always dark, and with everyone’s attention drawn to the screen at the front, it was highly unlikely anybody was going to pay attention to the Cops. If they sat right at the back (which Emmet often did - it meant he didn’t have to strain his neck looking upwards at the screen, meaning he got the best view), they were guaranteed to be completely ignored for the duration of the movie. Getting in and out of the movie theatre was the hard part; the lights would be on and the Cops would be in full view of everyone as they walked from the parking lot to the theatre and back. Emmet could always find them a baseball cap or something to wear in the hope that it would disguise them a little better, but he knew that there was a fair chance they could be recognised.

Taking them out for coffee was practically out of the question. The coffee shops in Bricksburg were always packed, most of the citizens still sticking to the “Drink Overpriced Coffee” line in the Instructions enforced by Business years ago. Emmet himself was still struggling to _not_ walk into that coffee shop every day on his way to work. He couldn’t afford to spend those kinds of prices on hot drinks. It was what made him buy a large thermal flask and bring his own coffee to work every day. It was going against everything he’d learned through the Instructions over the years, but so was the whole Master Builder thing, so he figured saving a bit of money on coffee wasn’t going to hurt much. Besides, the Instructions pretty much went out the window entirely ever since Business lost his power.

So, coffee wasn’t an option, and Emmet filed a cinema trip under the ‘maybe’ pile of activities. He also considered a walk in the park but disregarded that idea immediately. The park was always full of people unless they went there at two in the morning, and with Emmet’s job, he really needed his sleep. Other options included going to the arcade (too busy, too many people, plus the games were expensive), going for a bike ride (Emmet didn’t actually own a bike, and he didn’t know of any place in Bricksburg that held rentals) or just sitting on the roof at night to look up at the stars (there was quite often cloud cover, and with all the light pollution coming from the city, it would be difficult to see anything good).

It only occurred to Emmet after he considered a seventh option (a drive through the city, but knowing Bricksburg’s traffic, it would be less ‘calm and peaceful drive’ and more ‘everyone is yelling at each other out of their car windows while Emmet attempts to hide under the steering wheel’) that he was thinking of what could be considered possible _dates_ . He felt his cheeks grow warm and he just knew he was blushing furiously. He let out a soft, sheepish laugh. _Him?_ On a _date?_ With _Bad Cop?_ It just didn’t seem feasible in the slightest. He wasn’t great when it came to romance, to begin with, let alone with someone like Bad Cop. Hell, even Good Cop would be a challenge. It just seemed so stupid, really. Sure, the Cops were nice and all, but he definitely didn’t want to _date_ them.

Emmet giggled again at the idea, before biting his tongue. He was giggling to himself in the middle of a supermarket and he realised he must look pretty ridiculous. He was already trying to be as inconspicuous as possible - dressed in a dark green hoodie and jeans with plain black sneakers, instead of the bright orange safety vest he was known for - and he didn’t want to draw any more attention to himself. He was too tired. He didn’t have the energy to be dealing with people bombarding him with questions about the Kragle or Lord Business or Master Building or anything else. He wished he could just have a _normal_ conversation, about movies or TV shows or games or just _anything_ other than something related to TAKOS Tuesday. He really didn’t want to be reminded of the fact he’d seen his friends be tortured in front of him, or that he’d jumped out an infinity-eth-storey window to disarm the Think Tank’s self-destruct.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts and kept going, picking up a jar of Chinese five-spice and some more cumin while he was there. After grabbing some soy sauce, he turned to push his shopping cart around the corner and into the next aisle, damn near crashing his cart into someone else’s. “Oh, Man Upstairs I’m so sorry!”  
  
“Hey, it’s okay,” the owner of the other cart giggled a little, looking up. “Oh, hi Emmet!”  
  
Emmet blinked a bit, trying to work out just who was standing in front of him. It took him a minute, but he eventually managed to recognise the astronaut without all his space-y getup on. For once, he wasn’t floating about a foot off the ground, but rather standing firmly on solid earth. “Oh, hey Benny! Sorry, I’m still not used to seeing you without all your suit and stuff on.”

“That’s okay, it’s weird not seeing you in bright orange!” Benny chirped. “How have you been?”  
  
“I’ve been okay, still trying to get used to everything being different, I guess.” Emmet held his hands up, watching as the blue sparks crackled at the end of his fingertips, his Master Builder abilities crashing inside him like tidal waves. “It’s weird, but I think I’m getting used to it. How about you? I haven’t seen you guys much.”  
  
Benny grinned sheepishly, pushing a tuft of his blonde hair out of his eyes. “Yeah, I know. Sorry, we’ve just been so busy cleaning up and trying to settle the chaos across the whole of the Universe. Wyldstyle - er, Lucy - is doing good, her and Batman are engaged. Metalbeard just got a thorough upgrade to his respiratory system and Unikitty has been taking anger management classes. I won one of those Space Races!”  
  
“One of those what now?”  
  
“Oh, right, I forgot that Bricksburg’s inter-Realm TV signal is really bad. They’re those races across space, where the competitors have to build their own spaceship and then race them!”  
  
“Oh! So like those soapbox races off TV?!”  
  
“Yeah!” Benny grinned. “But I won one of those! I finally managed to beat those guys in that really big spaceship - what was it again? Millennial something?”  
  
“The Millenium Falcon?!”  
  
“Yeah, that’s it!”  
  
“You beat the Millenium Falcon?!” Emmet exclaimed. “Oh man, that’s awesome!”

“I know right?!” Benny was grinning so much it was starting to make his face ache. “Those guys were always winning and it so wasn’t fair!”

“But you _beat the Millenium Falcon!”_ The construction worker reiterated. “That is so cool!”  
  
“It was really close, too, but I just managed to get past them and make it into first place before the finishing line!”

“That’s awesome!” Emmet beamed.

Benny grinned right back. “Oh hey! Unikitty was talking about throwing one of her famous parties over in Cloud Cuckooland and she was wondering if you wanted to go!”

“Oh, uh, really?” Emmet stammered awkwardly. A party? And he was being invited? Emmet could count on one hand the number of times he’d been in that situation. The only time he could remember actually _personally_ being invited to a party was the huge celebration all the Master Builders had had after the whole TAKOS Tuesday mess was over. Lucy had said something about the Special being the “guest of honour” and Emmet had been both incredibly flattered and utterly confused. He’d gone along anyway and ended up with quite the headache the following morning, despite having had not a single drop of alcohol during the party.

“Yeah! She was gonna have the whole gang there, and have it just be us for a change, since usually half the population of Cloud Cuckooland turns up. Wanna come with us?”  
  
“Uhhh…” Emmet chewed his lip. He had the Cops at home with him, and suddenly running off to a party felt pretty shitty. He couldn’t bring the Cops with him, of course, for obvious reasons, but he didn’t want to leave them at home while he went out and had fun. Besides, he figured it might be more fun if the Cops came with him.

Why he thought _that,_ he didn’t know.

“Can I check what I have planned and let you know later?” Emmet asked. In actual fact, he wanted to discuss with the Cops as to what he was going to do. “Do you know when Unikitty was planning on throwing the party?”  
  
“I don’t think she’s settled on a date yet since I think she was talking about throwing the party when it was convenient for everyone. I’d guess maybe sometime next week?”  
  
“I’ll check my diary at home and let you know when I’m free?” Emmet suggested.

“Sounds good to me!” Benny agreed. “So, what have you been doing with yourself since we last saw you? I know it’s been a while.”

Emmet had to pause for a moment, trying to think of something to say that wouldn’t give away the fact that two wanted men had been living with him for the past several weeks. “Oh, just work and stuff. The usual construction business. It’s been kinda busy, what with trying to rebuild everything after all the chaos, but we’re getting there.”

“So you’re probably gonna be busy with work next week, right?” Benny asked, sounding a little deflated. Had he been floating at that moment, Emmet figured he would have dropped to the ground.

The construction worker offered an apologetic smile. “I might be, yeah. I can sometimes get away from work earlier on a Friday, though, but I’d have to check with my manager.”

“The _Special_ has a manager?!”  
  
“Shh!” Emmet hissed, ducking his head down a little bit. “Why do you think I’m wearing this rather than my safety stuff?”  
  
“Sorry!”

“But uh, yeah, being the Special and all that doesn’t really pay the bills. Y’know?” Emmet coughed awkwardly. “And since I’m not really all that qualified, I can’t really run a team of construction workers.”

“Doesn’t it get boring doing the same kind of stuff every day?”  
  
“Not really. I kinda like the routine of it. I know what I’m gonna be doing each day, which is better than getting nasty surprises I suppose.”

“What about at home, though?” Benny frowned. “If you live alone, don’t you get bored?”

“Sometimes.” Emmet shrugged a little. “I don’t really mind being on my own. It’s kinda nice.”

“Well, if you ever want company, give me a call, okay?” Benny offered with a smile.

“Yeah, okay.” Emmet nodded. “I think I have your number. What does it end in again?”  
  
“Oh-four-one-four.”  
  
“Uhh…” Emmet quickly dug his phone out of his pocket, scrolling through his contacts. “Yep! I’ve got it.”  
  
“Sweet! I’d love to come over and hang out sometime! Maybe this weekend?”  
  
Emmet had to refrain from flinching at that. He still had the Cops at home with him. “Uh, I’m not sure. It’s kinda short notice, y’know?”  
  
“Emmet, it’s Tuesday. Besides, I thought you said you didn’t really have anything on aside from work?”

“Uhh… I don’t, not really.”  
  
“Then this weekend should be okay, right?”  
  
_Crud. Now what?! I can’t tell him I’ve got Good Cop and Bad Cop at home, and I can’t just bring him around without telling the Cops first! You’re so stupid, Emmet!_ “Um… I’ll check my diary when I get home and then text you?”

“Okay, sounds good! I should, uh, probably let you get back to your shopping, huh?”

“I guess so,” Emmet giggled a little. “I’ll see you later though, okay?”  
  
“See ya!” Benny grinned, giving Emmet a quick hug before grabbing his shopping cart and heading on his way.

The moment that the astronaut was gone, Emmet let out a sigh of relief. He’d come pretty close to letting slip that the Cops were staying at his apartment. He was sure Benny wouldn’t react as vehemently as, say, Batman or Lucy, or even Metalbeard, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t be against the idea of the Cops being given a second chance. He was certain that the Cops wouldn’t want anyone knowing that they were staying with Emmet, either. Not because they were ashamed of staying with _Emmet Brickowski,_ of all people (or at least, Emmet hoped that wasn’t the case), but because of the way they had been treated after the events of TAKOS Tuesday. Emmet couldn’t say he was surprised. If he’d been exiled, berated and assaulted whenever he went outside, he’d spend his time hiding away too.

Emmet frowned to himself as he added a few cans of chopped tomatoes to his shopping cart, crossing them off his list. For quite some time before TAKOS Tuesday, he _had_ spent his time hiding away. He’d rarely left his apartment for reasons other than for work or for shopping. He couldn’t really recall himself doing any leisure activities. He’d gone to the gym every so often, but with his job being rather physically active anyway, he rarely felt the need to work out. So aside from going to work and stocking up on groceries and whatnot, Emmet didn’t really have much reason to leave his apartment.

So he didn’t.

He pushed the memories of all of his nights alone aside as he reached the confectionery aisle. Normally, he skipped this aisle entirely. He wasn’t a little kid, craving sugary snacks all the time, and he really didn’t think he’d even _touched_ a packet of sweets in months. Oh to Heck with it, he decided, pushing his cart down the aisle. It wouldn’t hurt to treat himself, would it? Besides, maybe the Cops liked sweets! He grinned away, adding a couple of bags of whatever seemed nice to his shopping cart, before moving on. He got the rest of his shopping before heading towards the checkout.

Emmet hummed as he made his way back to the car. He was in high spirits, planning out in his head what he was going to cook for dinner that night. Maybe lasagne? Pizza Rolls? Something to do with tuna, since he had several cans sitting in the cupboard? He wasn’t quite sure but figured he could always ask the Cops when he got home. Bad Cop had said something about fancying a pasta dish again sometime, so maybe lasagne was the way to go.

He pulled his car to a stop in his designated spot in the parking garage, before unloading his shopping bags from the back. It really wasn’t much effort for him to carry them up the several flights of stairs to his apartment; working in construction for years had more than developed his ability to lift and carry heavy objects. He set the shopping bags down when he reached his apartment, fishing around in his pocket for his key.

“I’m home!” He called once he got the door open, dragging the bags inside. He shut the door behind him, before carrying the bags through to the kitchen. “I was thinking of cooking lasagne for dinner if you want.”

Strangely, there was no response. Usually, either Good Cop or Bad Cop replied whenever he got home. This time, however, there was just silence. He couldn’t hear the shower running and they didn’t usually take naps. Emmet frowned, seeing that the living room was empty. “Guys?”  
  
Again, he didn’t hear a response. Maybe the Cops _were_ taking a nap? Emmet headed over to the door to the spare bedroom. He knocked on the door, waited a few moments, then headed inside. The room was completely empty. The bed sat freshly made and everything in the room was neat and tidy. Emmet bit his lip as he went to check the bathroom. He found the door open and nobody inside. The same went for his own bedroom and the nook in the far corner of the apartment which he used for storage. There was no sign of the Cops anywhere in the apartment.

“Okay, if you guys are hiding waiting to scare me, it’s not gonna work and you can come out now.” Emmet walked in circles around his apartment, checking and re-checking every room again. “Seriously, you don’t have to hide.”

When Emmet yet again received no response, he started getting worried. He knew the Cops didn’t have a phone on them and they certainly weren’t in the apartment. Maybe they’d gone out somewhere? No, they would have left a note, surely? Emmet hadn’t seen anything when he’d come back home, and another quick search of the place yielded nothing. They’d never mentioned that they’d be going out anywhere. Emmet knew that they weren’t exactly comfortable going out, at any rate, so why the sudden change of heart?

Emmet considered calling the police but immediately dismissed the thought. What would he say? ‘Hey there, I was wondering if anyone had handed in two of Bricksburg’s most wanted. Maybe check the lost and found box?’? Man Upstairs, he’d get them into even more trouble! Even if they hadn’t seen the Cops, he’d be giving away the fact that they’d been staying with him recently if he mentioned losing them.

Before he could decide on what to do, there was a knock at the door. Emmet almost tripped over and crashed into the coffee table in his rush to get to the door. He yanked it open to reveal a somewhat startled looking woman, her black hair streaked purple and blue.

“Oh, hi Lucy!”  
  
“Hey, Emmet,” Lucy greeted once she’d recovered from having the door thrown open so suddenly. “How’re you doing?”

“I’m good, uh, yeah good.” Emmet nodded, leaning against the doorframe. It took him a couple of attempts to find a position that was actually comfortable, and he ended up making himself look like an idiot in the process.

Lucy refrained from rolling her eyes. “Did you know your apartment was broken into?”  
  
“What? When?”  
  
“It must have been earlier today, I’m not sure. Were you out earlier?”  
  
“Yeah, I was at the supermarket.”  
  
“Well, sometime between you leaving and you coming back, your apartment was broken into.”  
  
Emmet frowned. Broken into? “I don’t think that happened. Nothing’s broken or stolen, and the locks were all intact.”

“Are you sure? ‘Cause some of your neighbours saw someone break in, and they called the police.”  
  
“How’d you find out, anyway?”

Lucy gave him one of her famous looks of exasperation. “There isn’t much in this city that can get past me, Emmet. You of all people should know that by now. Anyway, Bat and I show up at your apartment - ‘cause y’know, if the _Special’s_ apartment has been broken into, it has to mean something big, right?”

“I - I mean uh, there’s not really much here worth stealing, so -”  
  
“Emmet that isn’t the point. You’re the _Special._ You’re famous. If someone makes the effort to break into your apartment, it means something bad, okay?”  
  
“Uh… whatever you say, I guess?”  
  
Lucy rolled her eyes at that. “Anyway, so when Bat and I turn up, who do we find in your apartment?”  
  
“Uhhmmm… Santa?”

“Bad Cop!”  
  
Emmet went pale. _Oh, right._ “Um, yeah, about that…” He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. “I … kinda already knew?”  
  
“What?!”

“Yeah, uh, I picked him up a few weeks ago. He was hiding in that old gardener’s place in the park in the middle of town.” Emmet scratched the back of his neck. “I guess I should have said something, huh?”  
  
“Yes, you should have!” Lucy snapped. “You let a _dangerous criminal_ into your apartment?! Knowing full well he’s the one responsible for capturing and _torturing_ dozens of Master Builders in the past?!”

“He changed, remember?! He helped us defeat Business!”

“Yeah, _after_ repeatedly trying to kill us!”  
  
“He still changed, Lucy, and he’s different now! They both are!”

“Emmet, how do you know they’re not lying to try and trick you?! They tried to kill you before, so why is now any different?!”  
  
“Because I let both of them live with me and I’ve been feeding them for the last few weeks!” Emmet exclaimed. “I’ve been making sure they stayed safe and healthy and they certainly seem to be thankful for it!”

“What if they try to kill you?!” Lucy shot back. “What if they turned around one day and stabbed you in the back, literally?!”

“Well considering they’ve been taken into custody, that isn’t going to happen!”

Lucy opened her mouth to retort when something occurred to her. “Wait, if they’ve been living with you for weeks now, why did they break in?”  
  
Emmet shrugged. “Maybe they went outside and realised they didn’t have a key? I dunno. Why don’t we go and ask them?”

“Yeah, the thing about that is…” Lucy winced. “They may or may not have been thrown into maximum security while they’re being questioned. They’re not allowing anyone to visit them.”  
  
“What?!” Emmet gasped. “But what if I went there and insisted that I’d let them stay with me?!”  
  
“That’s actually why I’m here, for the most part,” Lucy explained. “They’ve been constantly telling us how you let them live here with you.”  
  
“Take me there, right now, and I’ll clear up this whole mess.” Emmet looked determined. “I’ll sort everything out and _prove_ that those guys aren’t a threat!”

“Emmet, no offence, but your negotiation skills need to be expanded beyond ‘why can’t we all just get along?’” Lucy sighed. “You need to seriously think about what you’re going to say and how you’re going to say it because the guys who are keeping the Cops locked up? They know the law inside and out. They know every loophole, every clause, the lot. You need to build a serious, concrete case before you can even think about tackling this problem.”

“I’ve already got a concrete case!” The construction worker protested. “I picked them up a few weeks ago and they’ve been staying with me ever since!”  
  
“Emmet, the police might think the Cops have manipulated you in some way if you don’t have proper, hard evidence,” Lucy insisted. “Trust me, if you don’t have a solid response and proper evidence for every question the police ask you, you’re screwed and the Cops are gonna stay locked up.”

“That isn’t fair!”  
  
“Emmet this isn’t about what’s fair or not, it’s about what’s right in the eye of the law. And right now, until you can manage to prove otherwise, leaving the Cops locked up where they can’t hurt anyone else is what’s right.”  
  
Emmet crossed his arms. “No, it’s not!”  
  
“Then prove otherwise, because until you do, those Cops are guilty of breaking and entering, along with the kidnapping and torture of dozens and dozens of Master Builders.”

“I will prove otherwise, and you’ll see for yourself that those guys have changed!”

Lucy pinched the bridge of her nose with a sigh as if trying to ward off an oncoming headache. “Then good luck, I guess, because every bit of evidence I can think of points to them being just the same as they were before.”

“They’re not, and I’ll show you!” Emmet insisted. “They’re different! They’re the good guys now!”

“Emmet, the world isn’t divided into ‘good’ guys and ‘bad’ guys, and the sooner you realise that the better,” Lucy sighed. “Look, good luck with your case I guess, but when things go wrong, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Emmet scowled a little as Lucy left. He shut the door, before letting out a deep sigh. He slumped back against the door, gently sliding down to sit on the floor with his knees up against his chest. He really didn’t have much evidence, did he? At most, he could talk about how the Cops had acted while living with him, but most of that could be interpreted as efforts to say in Emmet’s good books and, therefore, his apartment. Even then, all the evidence anyone had to go off of was Emmet’s word, as it was clear that nobody was going to believe a word the Cops said. It was up to Emmet to find enough evidence to support his claim that the Cops were different, that they’d changed for the better and were no longer dangerous.

And Emmet knew better than anyone that, when anything was left up to him, it always went horribly wrong.

He _knew_ he couldn’t be counted on. He knew it. Everyone else knew it too if the whole Cloud Cuckooland mess was anything to go by. The whole place had been _decimated,_ all because Emmet hadn’t realised there was a tracking device attached to his ankle. How could he be so _stupid?!_ A whole realm had been destroyed, all because of him.

_No, c’mon Emmet, focus, you need to concentrate on helping the Cops now. Cloud Cuckooland is finished, it’s over, stop thinking about it!_

But no matter how much Emmet told himself to focus, he just couldn’t. The screams, the fire and the buildings collapsing around him and the whole place falling from the sky; it was all coming flooding back to him, leaving his breath lodged in his throat and his heart beating wildly against his chest. Tears burned behind his eyes and he was fighting the urge to tear his hair out as he buried his face in his hands. That was all his fault. So many homes destroyed all because of _him._

He hadn’t been able to look Unikitty in the eye since then. He’d tried, but he’d never been able to bring himself to do so. Knowing he had pretty much single-handedly destroyed her home, Emmet just didn’t feel as though he _deserved_ to look her in the eye. He couldn’t, not after leading the Super Secret Police Force right to her front doorstep. He knew that she wasn’t angry with him for it, or considered it to be his fault, but the ever-present voice at the back of Emmet’s head continued to tell him that _yes,_ it _was_ his fault. He’d managed to bring a whole realm to the point of destruction; proving that the Cops had changed was going to be impossible, especially if Emmet was in control.

 _No,_ he thought. _I have to at least try. I can’t just sit here and do nothing while they’re being interrogated. It isn’t fair! They’ve done nothing wrong, and I have to prove that!_

Emmet knew he was going in way over his head, but then why would now be any different to every other time in his life? If he didn’t prove that the Cops were better, nobody else would, and they’d be wrongfully locked away permanently. And Emmet couldn’t let that happen, not after seeing that the Cops really _had_ changed for the better.

Taking a deep breath, Emmet forced himself to stand up. He was going to do this. He _had_ to. The Cops were relying on him to bail them out and he had to succeed.

He didn’t know what he would do if he didn’t.


End file.
